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These days, it’s all about entertainment. Keep things
interesting, and people will stick around. The same principle
applies to learning. So the best way to ensure someone
learns something is to keep him entertained. Find out
more here:
To learn more about game-based learning, go to these external
sites:
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/default.asp
http://www.educause.edu/Games/1008
http://www.becta.org.uk/corporate/publications/index.cfm
http://www.digiplay.org.uk/research.php
http://www.digra.org/
http://www.educationarcade.org/gtt/
http://www.teem.org.uk/
http://www.igda.org/content/reports.php
Why Games Engage Us?
| 1. |
Games adapt
to the level of each player. That gives us individualism. |
| 2. |
Games have
outcomes. That gives us feedback. |
| 3. |
Games lead
to discovery. That gives us knowledge. |
| 4. |
Games engage
users for hours of engagement in pursuit of a goal.
That gives us motivation. |
| 5. |
Games can
be played with others or involve communities of
users interested in the same game.
That gives us social groups. |
| 6. |
Games are adaptive.
That gives us flow. |
| 7. |
Games have problem
solving. That sparks our creativity. |
Marrying
Learning With Entertainment
Teaching methods are playing catch-up to meet the needs
and learning styles of students both today, and in the
future. Digital Game-Based Learning has been proven to
be able to meet these needs by motivating
learners through fun.
One big advantage Digital Game-Based Learning has over
traditional teaching methods is that it is enormously
versatile and adaptable to almost any subject, information
or skill. Plus, the usage of a highly interactive digital
medium allows learners to fully engage themselves in the
learning process.
Play
– The Universal Teacher
Remember how much you hated learning a subject because
you found it difficult and boring? Your brain switched
off when the lesson started and you ended up learning
nothing. Contrast that with lessons that your favourite
teacher was in. Lessons were fun, and you probably did
well in those subjects you enjoyed.
Enjoyment and fun are important in the learning process
because the learner will be relaxed and motivated, and
therefore more willing to learn. When you enjoy something,
you naturally want more of it; so you continue to pay
attention. Also, fun can motivate the learner to participate
in activities even in things they have little or no experience
in.
It’s
Playtime!
With the technology we have today, digital games look
set to take over traditional learning processes as more
and more stimulating environments can be created digitally.
It’s pretty much like gaming really. Any features
your PS2 or X-BOX can have, your digital learning games
can have too!
What Digital Games Can Offer
| 1. |
They take
care of the boring stuff. |
| 2. |
They are
typically faster and more responsive. |
| 3. |
There are
fun things that digital games can do easily that
non-computer games can’t do at all, such as
stimulating the physics of shooting in space, combining
all the factors in flying an airplane, considering
the millions of possibilities in puzzles or strategic
contests. |
| 4. |
They are
capable of better, and more varied graphic representations. |
| 5. |
They can
be played against real people, or if none are available,
against the computer. That means
that multiplayer games can be played at any time. |
| 6. |
They can generate and
allow huge amounts of options and scenarios. |
| 7. |
They can deal with infinite
amounts of content. |
| 8. |
They can be played at
different levels of challenge. |
| 9. |
They can be updated
instantly. |
| 10. |
They can be customised
to fit the desires of each player. |
| 11. |
And they can be modified
and added to, making the player part of the creative
team. |
What’s
Hot In E-Learning?
Currently, there is a lack of quality content that meets
the needs of the end-user and a shift in focus from packaged
content to custom-developed content. Due to the long duration
needed to build customised courseware, organisations are
turning away from outsourced, consultant-driven content
and veering towards internally developed content.
The demand for Rapid E-leaning (coined by Bersin &
Associates) is high as organisations want training applications
that can be developed in weeks and solve the problems
of information distribution and effective information
transfer.
Virtual classrooms often focus on “learning by viewing”
rather than “learning by doing”, which boasts
a higher rate of information absorption as users are more
engaged. Games and simulations are proving to be effective
tools for e-learning when incorporated into these training
applications.
Other trends include:
Total E-learning Solutions
Delivery
Customers like having a one-stop centre that will cater
to all their needs. E-learning vendors will have to provide
a suite of products and services to meet this demand and
stay ahead of the market.
Training Analysis
Surveys have shown that companies are very interested
in measuring business impact from training but few are
doing it because of a lack of tools to do so.
Mobile E-Learning
This is especially suitable for professions who are constantly
on the move. They include field technicians, doctors,
sales executives and more. Mobile e-learning increases
the access to information and can also happen in classrooms
as a form of integrated e-learning.
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